Chapter 35: The Assassination Attempt

Chapter 35: The Assassination Attempt

Li Tai sat in the carriage, watching the wheels kick up clouds of dust. The road was far from wide and consisted of the typical yellow earth found throughout the region. It was manageable in dry weather, though dusty, but would inevitably turn into a quagmire of mud once it rained.

"The road from Gaoling to Chang'an certainly needs to be repaired, but with my current status, I have no authority to undertake such a project."

Li Tai rubbed his chin, feeling the jolting of the carriage. Compared to the steady ox carts of the past, the difference was immediately apparent; the road was anything but smooth. It wasn't that he didn't want to build bridges or pave roads, but rather that it was inconvenient to do so. After all, he wasn't even the county magistrate of Gaoling; on what grounds could he justify such work? He knew that the imperial censors were constantly watching him, waiting for him to overstep his bounds so they could submit a report against him. Generally speaking, as long as the censors weren't being maliciously persistent, Li Tai didn't mind them much. While they were annoying, it was their job; they were just making a living, and it was nothing personal. In a sense, it was even a form of greeting, a sign that he had caught the attention of the imperial court.

Therefore, Li Tai could not just go around repairing roads, as it fell outside his official duties. If he paid for it himself, it would be seen as buying hearts and minds. Even if his father, Li Shimin, didn't care, he would certainly be targeted by others, and that was not what Li Tai wanted.

"What excuse could I possibly find to convince Father to re-establish Gaoling County, and most importantly, to let me govern it?" Li Tai mused, stroking his chin as he contemplated how to achieve his goal.

As he pondered, the carriage reached the ten-mile mark. Li Tai lifted the curtain before stepping out to check on the carriage behind him, which carried his guards. Only after confirming their arrival did he disembark. He wasn't afraid of dying; he was simply traveling incognito to get a sense of the current environment in Gaoling. However, since Gaoling lacked sufficient security, he had his guards from the Prince of Yue's mansion stay close.

"Wine... wine... good wine!" A familiar voice drifted down from above him.

"Do you recognize that voice?" Li Tai asked.

"It sounds like Magistrate Ma," Bai He recalled, turning to Li Tai.

As they spoke, Li Tai stepped back and saw Ma Zhou drinking heartily on the second floor of a wine shop.

"Should we go see Department Head Ma?" Lu Anshou asked.

"I don't know him!" Li Tai replied, looking at the notorious drunkard who never let go of his cup, pretending he had never seen the man before.

Li Tai had implemented a schedule of working five days and resting one, though the students remained on campus. The facility had basic amenities for dining and bathing, and the one-day break was meant for them to wash away their fatigue and return with renewed vigor for the next week. When the students were on break, the teachers were as well, and this was time Ma Zhou could use as he pleased—Li Tai couldn't interfere. Still, he hadn't expected Ma Zhou to be drinking in the middle of the afternoon, and looking quite intoxicated at that!

He couldn't quite gauge the development of Gaoling yet, but Ma Zhou's alcoholism was certainly more than he had anticipated. No one likes being caught by their boss during their time off, especially if they are doing something they enjoy that might not be viewed favorably. Therefore, Li Tai had no intention of greeting Ma Zhou, opting to pretend he hadn't seen him at all.

The flow of people here, while not exactly a constant stream, was quite bustling. The commoners were calling out to one another in small groups, and small food stalls were popping up like weeds. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation—these four basic needs were essential for those who arrived in Chang'an only to find the city under curfew and were forced to reside temporarily in Gaoling, as well as for those who found the prices in Chang'an too high. Since almost everyone who voluntarily came to Chang'an was either wealthy or noble, they had high purchasing power and were quite generous with their spending, which Li Tai welcomed. The only pity was that in such a lively, antique-style street, no one was selling ice-filled gourds. It was a shame, though Li Tai understood that they were luxury items at the time and far from being accessible to the general public.

As the group walked on, they heard the sound of dice. They exchanged glances and soon saw a gambling den nearby, much to Li Tai's frustration. Gambling had existed since ancient times; the *Tang Code* explicitly prohibited it, but, much like the ban on noble families engaging in trade, it was largely a case of loud thunder and little rain—people mostly just turned a blind eye. Even the emperors of the Tang Dynasty were often interested in gambling themselves, so one could imagine the state of the social climate.

"A gambling den..." Li Tai curled his lip. With economic development, the emergence of such places was inevitable. Unfortunately, he lacked the authority to govern the area, so he could not legally shut it down.

Just as Li Tai was debating whether or not to go inside, he saw an acquaintance walking out. Li Chunfeng stood at the entrance, and Li Tai widened his eyes, exclaiming, "Yue—"

"Call me Silang!" Li Tai stepped forward quickly.

"Silang!" Li Chunfeng appeared somewhat embarrassed upon seeing Li Tai. "I didn't expect to meet you here!"

"I didn't expect to find you have a taste for this!" Li Tai said, looking toward the gambling den with surprise.

"It's mainly for some experiments in mathematics," Li Chunfeng explained. "Although the result of each dice roll is uncertain, there are only six numbers, and everyone has their own habits. Theoretically, if one observes enough rolls, one should be able to predict the outcome."

Bai He and Lu Anshou looked at each other, bewildered. They understood every word Li Chunfeng said, but they had no idea what he was actually talking about. Li Tai, however, understood; what Li Chunfeng was describing was essentially statistics. Of course, it wasn't difficult for any mathematical master in this world to notice this, but the real difficulty lay in explaining it clearly. To make it understandable to anyone—that was the key. This was the difference between a master and a true sage: it is easy to make a simple problem complex, but it is difficult to break down a complex problem into something simple that anyone can grasp.

"How much money did you bring?" Li Tai asked.

"One string of cash," Li Chunfeng said with a sly smile. "I only bet one coin at a time."

"Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up by the people in there?" Li Tai asked, though he didn't say anything more.

"I only leave once I've lost all my money!" Li Chunfeng replied. "I'm such a good 'fat sheep' for them; why would they ever want to hit me?"

Li Tai was silent for a moment. If that were the case, he suspected that if Li Chunfeng were ever beaten on the road, the people from the gambling den would likely rush to his defense. After all, that was an entire string of cash! In an era where down jackets were rare and could compete with fur for winter warmth, they only sold for about a string of cash. For the average person, saving a string of cash in a year was no small feat. It was no wonder the gambling den protected such a consistent source of income.

"And if you lose everything, do you plan on walking back?" Li Tai asked curiously.

Li Chunfeng shook his head. "Department Head Lü is composing music on a boat ahead, and Department Head Ma is drinking at the tavern in the direction you came from. I figure I can hitch a ride on their carriages; no need to walk those ten-plus miles!"

"Lü Cai is here too?" Li Tai was stunned, though upon reflection, it made sense. They weren't unfeeling machines that only worked 24/7 once given an order. Finding ways to relax during their time off was only natural. It was just that the three of them—one obsessed with wine, one with gambling, and one with women—couldn't they find better hobbies?

Li Tai sighed and waved his hand. "Forget it. I'm going to the grand bazaar; do as you please."

Li Chunfeng promptly took his leave to find Ma Zhou. He would gather the drunkard and then find Lü Cai; their hobbies had been discovered by Li Tai, and even if he hadn't said anything, they needed to compare notes.

Li Tai dismissed Li Chunfeng and headed to the grand bazaar. It was a sprawling complex of connected shops, ranging from daily necessities to luxury trinkets. The most thoughtful touch was that as soon as Li Tai entered, staff from the carriage rental service approached to ask if he needed transportation. The bazaar was vast and built in a circular layout, with inner and outer rings of shops. If one wanted to walk through the entire place, even with a carriage, it would take at least an hour.

As Li Tai wandered through the shops, he had to admit that Kong Que managed the place quite well. He had helped her ward off threats from those in high places, but the prosperity of the bazaar was a testament to her own ability.

Suddenly, Li Tai stopped as a young man a few years older than him deliberately bumped into him. Lu Anshou stepped in front of Li Tai, and the young man crashed straight into him.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" the youth apologized profusely to Lu Anshou as he got up.

"Check and see if anything was stolen," Li Tai said, having noticed the boy had initiated the collision.

The youth tried to run, but Lu Anshou was quick; he grabbed the boy by the collar like a chick and yanked him back. The young man was holding a familiar-looking purse.

"Well, well! You dared to steal from your master Lu!" Lu Anshou roared.

"I'm with the Heroic Gang! Could you please let me go for their sake?" the youth pleaded in a low voice.

"Send him to the magistrate," Li Tai shrugged. "We don't know any 'Heroic Gang'."

The youth's face paled. If he were arrested for theft, he would likely face the penalty of having his fingers severed. Terrified, he shouted, "Human traffickers! Help, human traffickers are kidnapping me!"

Hearing the word "traffickers," the surrounding crowd began to gather. Li Tai noticed that these people looked quite sturdy, and they surrounded him with a level of coordination that suggested they were not mere bystanders. It was clear the youth wasn't trying to elicit sympathy, but rather signaling his accomplices that he had been caught.

"Let the boy go!"
"In broad daylight, someone is kidnapping a child!"
"I hate traffickers more than anything!"

In an instant, the group surrounded Li Tai, attempting to snatch the youth back. Seeing this, Li Tai realized what was happening and ordered, "These are assassins! Take them all down!"

His guards, who had been following close behind, immediately sprang into action, subduing the sturdy men in a matter of moments. The thugs realized they had hit a wall, and even the youth who had been shouting about traffickers was stunned. He didn't know what to scream next, as he had never seen such a scene.

The entire bazaar erupted into a commotion. "I am Li Tai, the Prince of Yue, traveling incognito. These men attempted to assassinate me. I am taking them in for questioning; please do not panic!" Li Tai declared.

Despite his words, the crowd cleared a path as they saw the men he had captured. Some who had recognized Li Tai even stepped forward to help. Kong Que was alerted and rushed over to protect him, and upon seeing her, the captured men turned ash-white.

The youth stammered, "We weren't assassinating anyone, we... we just wanted to steal some money!" But his voice grew fainter until no one could hear him.

Li Tai heard him but ignored him. He had the men detained and sent to Chang'an that very day. He knew they hadn't intended to assassinate him; they were just pickpockets. Such gangs were common in crowded places like bazaars, and it was nearly impossible to eradicate them completely. But the truth didn't matter to Li Tai; they were merely tools he could use to escalate the situation. He needed a pretext to take control of Gaoling, and their appearance provided exactly that. He decided to make a scene—if it succeeded, all the better; if it failed, it wouldn't hurt him much. After all, when they chose to be thieves, they should have been prepared to hit a wall. If he pitied them, who would pity the victims who had their hard-earned money stolen?